Mesa Police Officer Indicted on Computer Tampering Charges

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Sept. 18, 2008) Attorney General Terry Goddard, Department of Public Safety Director Roger Vanderpool and Mesa Police Chief George Gascón today announced the indictment of Mesa Police Officer Daniel Albert Coronado, 37, of Gilbert, on four counts of computer tampering and four counts of unauthorized access to criminal history. Coronado was indicted on these charges, all Class 6 felonies, Wednesday by the State Grand Jury.

According to the indictment, between January 2005 and June 2008, Coronado used police computer terminals to access the Arizona criminal justice information system and/or computerized criminal history records for purposes other than his official law enforcement duties. The indictment alleges that Coronado illegally logged on to the computer terminals 149 times and accessed the criminal records of about 10 individuals.

The indictment is the result of an internal investigation by the Mesa Police Department which was turned over to the Department of Public Safety. Coronado has been suspended from the Mesa Police Department pending the outcome of this case.

Assistant Attorney General Philip Garrow is prosecuting this case. A copy of the indictment is available at the Attorney General’s Web site, www.azag.gov.